March 27, 2020

Boris Johnson Tests Positive for Coronavirus

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock also confirmed that he has contracted the virus.

United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday confirmed that he has tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the first world leader to disclose contracting the virus. 

Johnson said that he would continue to lead efforts to fight the pandemic while self-isolating at 10 Downing Street, his official residence. “I’m working from home and self-isolating, and that’s entirely the right thing to do,” he said in a video posted to Twitter.

“But be in no doubt that I can continue thanks to the wizardry of modern technology to communicate with all my top team to lead the national fight-back against coronavirus.”

Shortly after Johnson announced his diagnosis, the UK’s health secretary, Matt Hancock, confirmed that he has also tested positive for the virus.

The developments come as infections continue to rise throughout the country, with 11,658 confirmed cases and 548 deaths as of Friday. For weeks, Johnson had been heavily criticized for failing to take the situation seriously enough, even as the crises in Spain and Italy rapidly unfolded. But over the past week, Johnson moved to close pubs and restaurants before finally enforcing a national lockdown to curb the spread of infections.

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